M*A*S*H: Season One

The first episode of M*A*S*H clearly establishes that the first season takes place in 1950, the year the real Korean War began, but doesn't say what month it is or what the date is. As I said in my introductory post, I'm therefore making pretty much the only assumption I'm going to make during the course of this project; namely that a month has passed since the start of the war and the establishment of the 4077 camp. This is based on the view that established character relationships, like Hawkeye and Trapper's friendship and everyone's mutual dislike of Frank and Hot Lips, is well established by the pilot episode, so obviously some time has passed, and a month feels about right, especially given that in the pilot Hawkeye and Trapper aren't sure what to make of Henry and don't yet. know Margaret's nickname of Hot Lips. Therefore it is being assumed that the first episode takes place on July 25, 1950. Given this, I think that this is a fairly safe, conservative assumption, given that these indicators could easily suggest more than a month has passed.

So, how many days pass during the course of Season One?

1.1: The Pilot Episode (2 days)

Note: This episode starts with a note that this episode is set in Korea in 1950, so although we don't know the exact date, at least we know the year.

1.2: To Market, To Market (2 days)

1.3: Requiem for a Lightweight (2 days)

1.4: Chief Surgeon Who? (2 days)

1.5: The Moose (3 days)

1.6: Yankee Doodle Doctor (3 days)

1.7: Bananas, Crackers & Nuts (3 days)

1.8: Cowboy (2 days)

1.9: Henry Please Come Home (3 days)

1.10: I Hate A Mystery (3 days)

1.11: Germ Warfare (2 days)

1.12: Dear Dad (2 days)

Note: It appears to take Hawkeye two days to write and finish his letter. This is the first episode to feature flashbacks showing the events that a character is writing about in a letter to someone. As I've said before, I'm not counting the days in the flashbacks, since it's too hard to work out the proper flow of time in these sequences.

1.13: Edwina (3 days)

1.14: Love Story (2 days)

Note: Interesting aside here, although nothing to do with the flow of time. The previous episode, Edwina, featured a story where the nurses all banded together to refuse affection to the men of the camp until at least one of them agreed to go out on a date with a clumsy yet well liked nurse called Edwina. This episode is almost the same, except that the unlucky-in-love character is Radar. And although the men of the camp don't really band together to get him a date as the nurses did, Hawkeye and Trapper do ask several nurses to go out on a date with him and all refuse. Bizzare on several levels.

1.15: Tuttle (3 days)

1.16: The Ringbanger (3 days)

1.17: Sometimes You Hear The Bullet (2 days)

1.18: Dear Dad... Again (2 days)

1.19: The Longjohn Flap (3 days)

1.20: The Army Navy Game (1 day)

1.21: Sticky Wicket (3 days)

1.22: Major Fred C. Dobbs (3 days)

1.23: Ceasefire (2 days)

1.24: Showtime (1 day)

Note: Not a 'letter to home' episode, but the episode still features flashbacks to earlier events as the camp watches a USO show. Again, I'm only going to count the time spent watching the show, as it's too hard to lock down the flow of time in the flashbacks.

This count suggests that at least 56 days has passed since July 25th, 1950, making the approximate date at the end of Season One September 18, 1950. So plenty of time to go until July 27, 1953, then!